structural

Question 1

openings

Answer 1

start of a text must interest reader
- comment on how writer introduces ideas and raises questions

Question 2

focus

Answer 2

what a writer focuses on as text develops
- analyse what is implied e.g. a gloomy landscape indicates an unhappy mood - what is causing the unhappiness, what happens next

Question 3

shifts

Answer 3

changes in ideas and perspectives
- comment on how this change is effective, eg creates contrast

Question 4

contrast

Answer 4

differences between two things
- comment on the effect a drastic difference produces

Question 5

repetition or patterns

Answer 5

when words, phrases or ideas are repeated for effect
- highlight key meanings, indicate a development or show a lack of change

Question 6

pace

Answer 6

feeling of speed in the writing – are events and ideas revealed to the reader slowly or quickly
- what effect is created by altering the pace, eg a slow pace builds tension or suggests boredom, a quicker pace may suit a piece about things happening at speed

Question 7

temporal references

Answer 7

references to time
- comment on how time is used to speed up or slow down the pace of the text

Question 8

order of events

Answer 8

could be chronological or writers might choose to start at the end, in the middle, or with flashbacks / flash forwards
- comment on how the order of events introduces and prioritises key ideas – and how this engages the reader

Question 9

endings

Answer 9

conclusion of a text may be neat or leave us with questions
- think about how the reader feels at the end. have their feelings changed since the opening

Question 10

withholding information

Answer 10

clues and hints are given without revealing everything at once
- analyse what is implied by hints – how does this build the reader’s expectations

Question 11

dialogue

Answer 11

conversations and speech
- how does dialogue move the text forward

Question 12

headings, subheadings and questions

Answer 12

divides the content of texts into topics and sub topics, can signal the start of new points
- how do they guide readers through a text

Question 13

bullets

Answer 13

can summarise and simplify a range of ideas
- why does the writer summarise certain points

Question 14

sentence structures

Answer 14

varied types of sentences, eg simple, compound and complex
- comment on how sentence structures affect the fluency of the text, eg a sudden short sentence could reveal shocking information

Question 15

paragraph lengths